Taylor Hicks and Keyla Richardson Team Up for Stevie Wonder Cover on ‘American Idol’

Taylor Hicks is showing the current American Idol hopefuls what it takes to win the show. Twenty years after his Idol victory, Hicks returned to the series to perform a duet alongside finalist Keyla Richardson.

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The pair wowed the crowd with their take on Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City,” as they tried to get Richardson one step closer to winning season 24.

Hicks wasn’t the only familiar face to pop up on the latest Idol episode. The latest installment was dubbed the Class of 2006: Reunion, and welcomed back four other past contestants. In addition to Hicks, Paris Bennett, Bucky Covington, Kellie Pickler, and Elliott Yamin returned.

During season 5 of American Idol, Yamin was the second runner-up, behind Hicks and Katharine McPhee. Chris Daughtry came in fourth place, while Bennett went home in the fifth position. Pickler was eliminated after making the Top 6, while Covington was sent home on the Top 8 episode.

Just like Hicks did, the remaining former contestants are set to team up with a current hopeful to perform a duet. The season 24 field has been narrowed down to just five people: Richardson, Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, Braden Rumfelt, and Chris Tungseth.

Original Idol judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul are also back for the show’s big reunion. Both returning superstars will mentor the contestants in the Top 5, and the latter one will join the judges’ panel alongside Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood.

At the end of the episode, America’s votes will be tallied to determine the Top 3 contestants of season 24.

What Taylor Hicks Has Been Up to Since American Idol

After his 2006 Idol win, Hicks released four LPs. His self-titled debut came out the year of his Idol win, while his sophomore album, The Distance, was released in 2009. He followed that up in 2015, releasing both In Your Time and Under the Radar.

Hicks put out several singles in the years that followed, most recently “Call Paul” in 2024.

In the wake of his Idol returned, Hicks announced that he’d be releasing his latest single. That song, “The Mirror,” is out now.

American Idol airs Mondays on ABC.

Photo by Catherine Powell/Getty Images